Sumac in your burger

The two most common vegan menu items in the nonvegan world arguably are veggie burgers and hummus. Now that it is mid-June, aka the Great Sacramento Vegan Burger Battle month, those of us who are halfway through eating at the 30-plus battling eateries (search for “sacveganchefchallenge” on Facebook) may be experiencing burger burnout. So how about a hummus palate cleanser? Because the hummus at Sactown Kabob (2440 Fulton Avenue, Suite 1) tastes like we’ve been doing hummus wrong our whole lives. Sactown achieves the perfect viscosity and balance of chickpeas, tahini, lemon and garlic, then sprinkles sumac on it. A genius move for this Persian restaurant, even though hummus isn’t Persian—it’s Mediterranean. Seeing hummus on a plate next to saffron-infused rice and kabob is like seeing tacos with a side of cornbread. But who cares, because their version is excellent, elevated with the tart, underutilized and underrated sumac. Chefs, have you considered sumac in your burgers? It would be amazing.